The Earrings
by justanoutlaw
Summary: Lucy disobeys her abuela and loses something very special to her. It's that day, she learns a lesson in forgiveness and unconditional love.


Ella had never been overly girly. Sure, she had worn dresses growing up, but that was more expected of her given the circle she grew up in. She felt far more comfortable in riding pants and a tunic. That was even more true after she had been cursed as Jacinda.

The same could not be said for her daughter. Lucy was very girly and it was one thing that she couldn't connect with her mother over. Luckily for them, they had Regina. She had helped Zelena raise Robin and she always allowed Lucy to come over to place dress up and have fun. As Lucy got older, she stopped wanting to play dress up and instead, borrow things. Regina allowed her to wear some of her more inexpensive jewelry, but there was one thing in her jewelry box that was off limits.

They were a beautiful pair of gold earrings that Henry Sr. had gifted Regina when she was 10 years old. She had seen them in a trip to town, but Cora had said she was too irresponsible to own a pair. Regina had done all she could to prove otherwise, but Cora had been insistent. It wasn't often that Henry felt bold enough to stand up to his wife, but he had in his own way that time. On Regina's birthday, her first gift was from her father…the earrings she had seen. Cora had sneered as Regina hugged her father, thanking him over and over. She promised she would take good care of them and she had.

To Regina, the earrings were a sign of trust. As she got older, they meant more to her than anyone could realize. It was why she had named her son after her father. At one point, he had been the only one in all the realms that truly believed in her. Even back when she was a little girl, free of sin.

She loved Lucy, but she couldn't risk them being misplaced. So, while she let her try them on, she never let her take them out of the house. Heck, they never even left Regina's vanity in her room. Lucy grew up knowing this. She respected her grandmother's wishes. After all, there were plenty of other pretty things she could borrow.

When she was 12 years old, however, there was a big dance at her school. While most of the dances were themed around typical modern ones, this one was special. Everyone was dressing as they would in the other parts of the United Realms. Drizella, who had taken over her father's old tailoring business, was making Lucy a beautiful gown. It was pink with flecks of gold. When she went over for a fitting, Drizella made a good point.

"As pretty as this dress is, the accessories will be just as important."

Lucy had an idea of what she wanted to wear. She had a locket that her parents' had given her for her 8th birthday, along with a bangle she had bought on their last trip to Agrabah. No matter how many pairs of earrings she tried on, however, none seemed right.

Until she remembered the ones that sat in her abuela's jewelry box. She knew there was no way Regina would allow her to take them, but she rarely wore them herself. She wouldn't notice if they were missing for one night, would she?

The next time Lucy was over her abuela's house, she snuck into her bedroom and slipped the earrings into the pocket of her jean jacket. It was so easy; Lucy didn't even feel any guilt. She'd have them back before her abuela could even notice they were missing.

When Lucy got home, she went to take the earrings out and stash them away. Not only did her pocket come up empty, but she realized it had a hole in it. Panicking, she raced down to her father's car and tore through it. They weren't there. They had left right after she taken them to go to Granny's for dinner. She had felt them in there when she ordered, so there was no way they were still at Regina's.

She spent the next couple of days checking every square inch of Storybrooke. Granny helped her look and promised to call if she found them, but it wasn't looking very likely.

Lucy didn't know what to do. It wasn't like she could replace the earrings. Even if she found the money to buy another pair, they wouldn't be the same. These were so important to her abuela. They had been a gift from her own father. Lucy's hand went over her locket, unsure of how she would feel if she lost something her dad had given her. She was sure that Regina would hate her, she would never speak to her again. She couldn't face such a shame.

She packed her bags, unsure of where she was really going. When she was younger and got bad at her parents, she'd run away to Abuela's It wasn't as if that was an option. Aunt Tiana would probably call her parents, as would any member of her family really. Maybe she could go to her Grandma's? Emma had told her about her adventures as a runaway (much to Ella's dismay), surely she'd understand. No, she was the town sheriff. She could potentially arrest her. The only solution was to be like her great-grandmother and become a bandit.

Before Lucy could make it out the window, however, she heard her mother's voice. "Luce?"

Lucy paused, suitcase still in hand. She turned to face her mother. "Hi Mom."

Ella put her hand on her hips. "Just where do you think you're going?"

"I'm running away."

"Wasn't that a phase you should've grown out of when you were little?"

"It's serious this time. I can't be seen ever again," Lucy said, urgency in her voice. "I have to become a bandit."

"A bandit, huh?" Ella sat on her daughter's bed. "You want to tell me what you did that is that is so bad, that you'd rather live in the woods than a house with heat?"

Lucy gnawed on her lip. "I can't tell you."

"You can tell me anything, baby. You know that."

Looking into her mother's kind eyes, Lucy broke. She collapsed next to her mom and told her everything. Ella looked mighty disappointed and Lucy didn't blame her one bit.

"Running away won't solve this, Lucia," Ella said. "You have to face your abuela."

"But she's going to be so angry with me."

"She has every right to. Not only did you steal-which I know your father and I have taught you not to do-but you took something that was very special to someone that loves you very much."

"I didn't mean to lose them."

"I know you didn't, but it happened. Now, come on. We'll drive over there now."

Lucy nodded, knowing there was no way to avoid this. She went to grab her purse and paused. "Mamí…can we make a stop first?"

Lucy felt the lump growing further in her throat as her mother knocked on the door of the house on Mifflin Street. Since they all moved from Washington to Maine, she had been there a million times. This was the first time she wanted to be anywhere but there.

The door opened and Regina stood there with a smile, which just made things even worse. "Hey guys, I wasn't expecting you."

"We need to talk to you about something." Ella placed her hands on Lucy's shoulders. "Don't we, Luce?"

Lucy slowly nodded and Regina tilted her head, but stepped to the side to allow them in. Ella had calmed down a lot in the car and though she didn't say it, Lucy could tell she was sympathetic. She was going to need a lot of it.

"Abuela…you know those earrings that Bisabuelo Henry gave you? The ones you told me I couldn't take outside of your bedroom?"

Regina nodded. "Yes."

"Well…I…I wanted to wear them to the dance. I thought they were so beautiful and that I could put them back before you noticed they were missing but then I…I…." She felt like she was going to cry all over again. "I lost them."

Regina's face turned to one that Lucy had rarely seen and whenever she did see it, it was never directed at her. It caused the tears to instantly start running down her face. It wasn't even anger, it was disappointment and that made all of it so much worse.

"Those were very special to me, Lucy," Regina said. Her voice was very quiet, making it clear that she was really upset. "I don't have much left from my life before the curse, especially things from my father. It's why I asked you never to touch them. I have so much jewelry that you could've borrowed instead."

The tears fell faster down Lucy's face. "I am so sorry, Abuela," she said, her voice cracking. "I know what I did is unforgivable."

Regina's face softened and she bent down, so she was at eye level with Lucy. She tipped her chin up, so she was looking at her. "Hey now, you are my granddaughter, mi nieta. There is nothing that you could do that is unforgivable to me."

Lucy sniffled. "But I disobeyed you."

"Yes, you did. I am disappointed in you, Lucia, but that doesn't change that I love you more than anything in the world." She kissed the center of her forehead. "It will take time for me to trust you with my things again, but I am going to give you something that my father always gave me: the belief that you will do better next time."

Lucy couldn't believe it. She felt as though she was getting off too easily, Regina and Ella knew she might have been as well. However, they also knew how truly guilty she felt. This was one misdeed worthy of forgiveness, Regina knew that.

"Gracias, Abuela," Lucy whispered.

"De nada, mi amor."

Lucy reached into her purse and pulled out the tiny white box she had purchased at the store on their way over.

"I couldn't afford to replace the earrings, and even if I could, I know they're still not the same. Still, I wanted to give you these."

Regina opened the box to reveal a pair of earrings. They were faux amethyst studs; Lucy knew that was her grandmother's birthstone. Regina softy smiled.

"They're beautiful, sweetheart. Thank you."

Regina would wear those earrings more than any other pair over the years. In the beginning, Lucy couldn't look at them without feeling guilt, but soon her abuela's graciousness replayed in her brain. She had taught her so much about forgiveness and love in that moment. Even though she wasn't allowed to touch her grandmother's jewelry box for another year, it didn't change how her abuela treated her. This didn't define their relationship. She still showed her so much love.

Cora may have built their family on lies and zero second chances, but Regina redesigned it with trust and forgiveness.


End file.
